TAG | Training
In my gym I have a few rules. During your workout no cellphones, no kids, and no office work. You have 23 other hours of the day for that. Going to the gym is one hour a day for you, void of all outside responsibilities and obligations. This may seem like a no brainer, but for some it’s not so easy to disconnect.
Schedule it in your calendar
Block out that hour in your schedule, and let people know you are unavailable. Turn off your cell phone ringer, or leave it in your car. There is nothing worse than getting distracted during a good set by a text message.
Have someone hold you accountable
Finding a workout partner or a trainer to hold you accountable will more than double your chance of longterm success. The worst thing you can do is go it alone. There isn’t one athlete alive that gained success without the motivation of their peers. You’ll always push harder when you’re around friends in the gym.
Exercise · Fitness · Gym · Motivation · Personal Training · Training
In order to improve my athletes performance I need to compare how they did, with how they are doing. It all comes down to distance and time. How fast can they run 10 miles, row a 5K, swim, bike, ski etc… The right tools are important, and they can’t be found at a health club or an outdoor boot camp.
Step 1 – Strength Training
If you want to improve your longevity in the sport, you must include weekly Olympic Strength Training. Barbell Deadlifts, Squats, and Lunges will keep your bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissue strong and durable for years to come.
Olympic lifting is also a good stimulus for developing power. Lifting lighter weights at max velocity will quickly translate into faster mile times.
Step 2 – Mileage
Whatever your sport, you need a computer to track your real time splits. A GPS watch is highly recommended. It’s the most accurate, and doesn’t require calibration. We recommend The Garmin Forerunner, it’s relatively inexpensive and very durable. Their web software is amazing. You can track speed, distance, pace, heart rate, and elevation. All important data, necessary to measure your improvement.
Step 3 – Pacing
I’ve found the best tools for teaching pacing to beginners is pairing the Concept2 Rower with our RowPro Software. It gives me real time data on my athlete’s distance, speed, pace, and heart rate. It graphs your split times so I can see if you paced evenly, or cycle through pushing too hard and falling off. Mastering pacing will make a world of difference on race day.
Step – 4 Race Day
Your official race time is the ultimate indicator. If you perform well on race day, that says you did things right. Make sure not to blow months of hard work. Rest up and listen to your body in the weeks leading up to your race. Scale back your training, especially if you feel worn down, or developed pain.
boot camp · Health Club · pacing · Running · strength training · Training
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Training Around a Running Injury
No comments · Posted by Jason Zagami in New Articles, Running
Training is all about experimentation and learning your body. You do everything you can to avoid an injury but it’s going to happen at some point.
It Happens
An injury isn’t an excuse to stop training, you just have to work around it. Right now I’m working around a calf strain, that means no jumping or running. Each week I still need to do my speed work, tempo work, endurance work, and strength work.
Endurance Work
Normally I’d do my endurance work on the rower, but I’m focusing on cycling. Since my first race of the season is a 10k that’s what I’m training for. A 10K is 6.2 miles, at my bodyweight that roughly translates to 100 calories per mile (620 calories). The caloric equivalent of that run on the bike is 620 calories for time. Remember on endurance day pacing is crucial.
Speed Work
To keep my VO2 Max from slipping I interval train. I mix up my intervals ranging from Tabata Intervals to 6 minutes at Max Sustainable Effort with 3-6 minutes active rest. This I can do on any of our cardio equipment. I prefer the SkiErg or Rower over the Airdyne, but thats just personal preference.
Tempo Work
This is the caloric equivalent of a 5k on the Airdyne. I ride at 10k pace for the 5K. Once again, doesn’t matter which piece of wind resistance equipment you use. Just don’t use an elliptical or recumbent bike.
Strength Training
I find that I can use the prowler without any pain in my calf. This simulates running best without actually running. Today I warmed up with 5 sets of 100ft Prowler push with a minute rest between each round. Then Squats, Deadlifts, and Lunges per usual.